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By Jeff Nelson, West Jefferson Hills SD Public Relations Coordinator

“She changed my whole trajectory about learning; she instilled confidence in me. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her,” said Maggie Elinsky.  How many children raised in the South Hills and Mon Valley would join Elinsky in expressing similar sentiments about Mrs. Louise Biddle? The number is likely in the hundreds; possibly thousands. 

A second grade teacher for 38 years at Roosevelt School in what was then known as the Jefferson Township School District, Biddle knew from a young age that she wanted to be a teacher. And she was - from age 23 until 98, when she tutored her most recent student - and still is, but she means so much more to our area. 

If you’ve eaten at the Country Kitchen restaurant in West Elizabeth, you’re sure to have met Louise, who lives above the restaurant and frequently eats breakfast there to visit with friends and make new ones. She and her late husband, Charles, opened the then-Gondolier Restaurant in 1955 and ran it into the early 1960’s, while she was teaching.

You may also have seen Louise at West Elizabeth Borough meetings and events, where she is a member of the Board Council, having served as president for seven years. For the past 10 years she has served as Recording Secretary for the West Jefferson Hills Chamber of Commerce, also attending various Chamber events and ribbon cuttings. 

In addition to being a highly effective tutor for decades, Louise also has volunteered with numerous organizations, including the West Elizabeth Food Bank, and was a Women of Achievement Award recipient.

Born in April 1924, Louise is the daughter of James and Barbara Argiro and was raised in Everton, W.Va. She learned about helping others and having a strong work-ethic at a young age. 

“My father had a store,” she recalls. ”During the depression, he helped people out. But, then they couldn’t pay him back, so he went to work in the (coal) mines and worked in the mines for 44 years. There were a lot of obstacles we had to overcome.”

Louise began pursuit of a teaching career as a student at then Fairmont State College, while also juggling a full-time second shift position at the Westinghouse factory in Fairmont.

“I will always remember Mr. Lambert, the Westinghouse supervisor saying to me,

‘Hiring you would be a risk; I’m going to gamble.’

“I went to school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., then worked in the factory making regular and fog car headlights from 3:30 p.m.-midnight. I would take the street car home, study or do homework, go to bed and then get up at 6 a.m. I did that for 3 ½ years. I made $100 a week.”

Ever since I was that high (gestures with hand), I knew I wanted to be a teacher,” Biddle added. “Rose, an older cousin, paved the way for me to go to college.”

A Teacher at Heart

Louise graduated from Fairmont State in 1947 and Westinghouse realized its “gamble” had paid off handsomely and wanted her to continue working at the factory. “They wanted me to stay, but in my heart, I wanted to be a teacher.”

She was hired at the old Roosevelt School in Large before the 1947-48 school year. She taught second grade for 38 years, retiring in 1985. Roosevelt was Grades 1-8 for many years until Pleasant Hills Middle School opened in 1965. Roosevelt School closed when Jefferson Hills Elementary (now Intermediate) School opened in 1993. 

For much of the time Louise taught at Roosevelt, she was appointed the head teacher. She helped supervise students getting on and off the buses, among her duties, in addition to being a homeroom educator who taught reading, english, spelling, science and math. 

“I took pride in the school and the building,” said Louise, who has amazing recall. “The main hallway shined in the morning; the building was clean. I didn’t have a favorite subject; I loved them all. We had to meet the needs of the kids. You have to know the child you’re working with; what works for one child doesn’t work for another.”

While at Roosevelt, Louise met her future husband, Charles, who taught English. He was raised in West Elizabeth and as a teenager, walked over the bridge crossing the Monongahela River every school day to attend Elizabeth High School. 

They were married in 1951 and moved to West Elizabeth. In 1955, the Biddles opened the Gondolier Restaurant and in 1958, their son, Charles, was born (he lives in Churchill). Four years later they built an apartment above their restaurant, where Louise continues to live today. She would spend the day teaching, work at the restaurant until 10 pm, then graded homework before getting a few hours sleep and doing it all over again the next day. Louise’s husband passed away in 1992. 

When someone would ask Louise why they chose to live above their restaurant, she would smile and say, “We have four walls, a roof and love.”

It will come as no surprise that when Louise retired in 1985, she had 300-plus unused sick days to her credit. In 1992, then WJHSD superintendent Dr. Richard Sinclair asked Louise to step in and teach a 5th grade class at McClellan Elementary School for the remainder of the year. She accepted and taught 5th grade for 5-6 months.

“You go to help. At the end of the year, I gave them a hug; the kids cried when I left. I always include the kids in the school district in my prayers.” 

Decades of Tutoring

Louise Biddle has been exceptional at helping during her career as an educator. Nominated for Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year in 1977 by former WJHSD Superintendent Dr. Foster Rutter, she has been tutoring students for decades, stopping just this past year at age 98. 

“I would go to her apartment in the evening,” former student Elinsky recalled from her elementary school days. “She had everything prepared - there was Countrytime lemonade and pretzels on a plate. It was a warm, welcoming, comforting environment. But, you’d quickly sit down at the table and get to work; she meant business.

“She gave me additional help with reading,” continued Elinsky, who graduated from TJ and Penn State. “After one year of tutoring, I met the reading benchmark. She has a very encouraging presence about her and a strong belief in her students. It’s a different level for her that’s just special; leaps and bounds above others. It’s her energy, compassion and charisma. She would tell me, ‘You can do whatever you want.’”

Another way Louise helped was by being a mentor and welcoming the next generation of teachers into her classroom. Students she had taught at Roosevelt would regularly come visit her class to observe and learn during their student teaching.

One young teacher who was influenced by Louise’s way with her students was Sue Mackulin, a TJ graduate who today is one of her best friends.

“I observed her; I tried to learn from her about discipline. She was firm, but kind,” Mackulin recalls. “Louise made every student feel special. She encouraged them and boosted their self worth. She spent a lot of time with her students; gave each one of them individual attention.”

Mackulin was a third grade teacher at Roosevelt and reaped the benefits of Louise’s impact. “I taught third grade, so I got Louise’s second grade students. She had them trained; they had to sit, listen and study in her classroom.”

The pair of teachers quickly became great friends. “I picked Louise up in the morning; we became really good friends. Sometimes I would pick her up early, around 7 a.m. There was an Eat’n Park across from Roosevelt. We might go have a bear claw and some coffee before school and talk about our families.

“Louise took a lot of pride in the school and the buildings,” added Mackulin, who is president of the West Jefferson Hills Chamber of Commerce. “She’s just a wonderful person.”

Helping and education have been vital daily threads throughout Louise’s life, including her five siblings. One sister, Julia, is a former art teacher in Baldwin-Whitehall SD. Louise’s brother, Joe, taught biology and chemistry in the Upper St. Clair SD from 1956-85, passing away from cancer in 1985. Another brother, Tom, was a pathologist, also passing away in 1985, and her sister Sylvia, is 87 and lives in Natrona, Pa. Another sister, Mary, passed away at age 14.

Words of Wisdom

Louise’s legacy will physically continue for many years to come. Earlier this year, WJHSD Superintendent Dr. Janet Sardon had some “Words of Wisdom” Louise had given her posted on a wall in the district’s administration building for all to read and consider. “A Time for Every Purpose” includes, “A Time to Work,” “A Time to Play,” “A Time to Laugh” and more. 

The words of wisdom were given to Louise by her sister, Julia Lipp, 97, who lives in Upper St. Clair. They belonged to Julia’s late husband, John, who kept them on his desk at the University of Pittsburgh. “Those words are so worthwhile for students to hear,” said Louise. “That’s nourishment.”

“Louise brought the “Words of Wisdom” to a Chamber meeting and thought they would be good for me to have,” Dr. Sardon said. “Every time I see her, she has something positive to say and words of advice that make sense. She never allows negativity to enter a conversation; you learn from her and gain a positive perspective.”

Dr. Sardon said she knew of Mrs. Biddle as a student in the district but they had never met until shortly after being appointed WJHSD superintendent at a July, 2022 WJH Chamber social gathering. 

“I knew of her; I clearly remember hearing her name when I was in school,” Sardon recalls. “She exudes all things I expect people to be.”

Louise’s impact on the district’s new superintendent was immediate and significant. Soon after they had met, Dr. Sardon invited Louise to attend the district’s Opening Days all-staff meeting in August 2022, where she was introduced and had an opportunity to speak. At that meeting, Dr. Sardon emphasized to the WJHSD staff four qualities that Louise embodies, that she was expecting from everyone, every day:

-Be Kind

-Don’t Be Negative

-Work Hard

-Don’t Listen to Rumors

“Teaching, learning, without any malice; I loved every minute of it,” Louise stated. 

“In my career in education, Louise is the one person I can say she truly believes, deep down, that all kids can learn if you find a way,” Sardon stated. “Her actions speak to that. I aspire to be like her.”

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